Options
by logarhythm
Summary: Three-shot.  When faced with a tough emotional dilemma, what does one do?  One problem, three solutions.
1. Option One: The Truth

**I know, I know - this has absolutely nothing to do with FMA XD To be honest, I wrote this three-shot to help with deciding what I should do in a very similar situation. **

**... It didn't help much.**

**So all Ed's feelings I describe are actually descriptions of how I would feel. So sorry if he's OOC XD;;**

**Disclaimer~**

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><p><em>Option One: The Truth<em>

"Hey, nii-san!" I saw Al waving at me from the distance, and I couldn't prevent the smile leaking onto my face as I saw him, back in his human body for good. I flexed my new right arm - I was building more muscle tone every day, and even the piercing pain from over-exerted muscles felt good.

"Hey, Al. What are you doing all the way out here?" I chuckled as I slowed to a stop in front of my younger (yet somehow taller) brother.

"I was visiting the graves, actually. I wasn't expecting you to have the same idea at the same time." Al laughed at the brotherly coincidence and absentmindedly swung the basket of freshly-picked flowers in his hands to and fro in front of him.

"Yeah." I sighed, smiling. "We're not in Resembool often, so I took the chance while I had it."

Al smiled warmly at me, and a bubble of confusion burst in my stomach. Al didn't usually smile like that.

"What's gotten you so happy?" I said lightly.

"It's just... well, I'm happy for you, nii-san."

Another three bubbles popped rather loudly. "How so?"

"You're finally forgiving Dad - even if it is after he's died. I'm sure he would be very happy to see that. So, I'm very happy too."

You could practically _feel_ the waves of warm contentedness and a strange sense of accomplishment radiate off of Al, and I couldn't help but show a rare sincere smile of my own. It had been years since I'd seen him this happy, and when Al was happy, I was happy.

But, wait... Forgiving Dad...?

The natural smile on my face suddenly became not-so-natural as it tried to force its way off my face and down the nearest drain. Al was happy because he thought I'd visited Dad's grave. In truth, I hadn't - I'd visited my mother's and Winry's parents' graves and completely ignored my father's. I could never forgive my father, no matter how pure his intentions in leaving us were. But if I told Al that now, he would just be so depressed - I could just imagine it... Al's face would fall, his stance would grow limp and he would probably be monosyllabic for the rest of the day.

But if I didn't tell him, he would be living in his own world, and I would be _lying_ to him - something I promised him I'd never do. I had to tell him somehow, and for the first time in my life I completely regretted my utter lack of tact.

"Al, I... didn't visit Dad's grave."

Al did exactly as I'd predicted - his unwaveringly kind smile faltered slightly, and his warm brown eyes widened fractionally before closing in a slow blink. His shoulders sagged and his grip on the wicker basket loosened. "Oh... okay. My mistake, I guess." He tried to shrug it off with a light-hearted chuckle and a grin, but to me it appeared more like a sob and a grimace.

"... Sorry," I murmured after a while in an awkward silence, and I tried in vain to convince myself that this was only a passing occasion and Al would probably have forgotten it by tomorrow - except I knew he wouldn't. He would remember this for weeks, maybe even months.

"It's all right, nii-san, don't worry!" Al feigned exasperation and shoved me playfully in the direction of Winry's house. "Now go home," he ordered, reminding me painfully of my mother.

"Okay," I whined, mocking my childish complaints of another lifetime as I turned around and for all the world seemed utterly nonchalant as I strolled back home.

But inside, I was dying.

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><p><strong>Okay, okay - 'dying' is an exaggeration. But I used it for effect :3<strong>

**This one didn't turn out so good, even though I know it's the right thing to do T.T (I might tell them the truth next week or something... maybe...)**

**Tell me how it was? :3**


	2. Option Two: The Lie

**The option I almost chose myself :S**

**Disclaimer~**

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><p><em>Option Two: The Lie<em>

"Hey, nii-san!" I saw Al waving at me from the distance, and I couldn't prevent the smile leaking onto my face as I saw him, back in his human body for good. I flexed my new right arm - I was building more muscle tone every day, and even the piercing pain from over-exerted muscles felt good.

"Hey, Al. What are you doing all the way out here?" I chuckled as I slowed to a stop in front of my younger (yet somehow taller) brother.

"I was visiting the graves, actually. I wasn't expecting you to have the same idea at the same time." Al laughed at the brotherly coincidence and absentmindedly swung the basket of freshly-picked flowers in his hands to and fro in front of him.

"Yeah." I sighed, smiling. "We're not in Resembool often, so I took the chance while I had it."

Al smiled warmly at me, and a bubble of confusion burst in my stomach. Al didn't usually smile like that.

"What's gotten you so happy?" I said lightly.

"It's just... well, I'm happy for you, nii-san."

Another three bubbles popped rather loudly. "How so?"

"You're finally forgiving Dad - even if it is after he's died. I'm sure he would be very happy to see that. So, I'm very happy too."

You could practically _feel_ the waves of warm contentedness and a strange sense of accomplishment radiate off of Al, and I couldn't help but show a rare sincere smile of my own. It had been years since I'd seen him this happy, and when Al was happy, I was happy.

But, wait... Forgiving Dad...?

The natural smile on my face suddenly became not-so-natural as it tried to force its way off my face and down the nearest drain. Al was happy because he thought I'd visited Dad's grave. In truth, I hadn't - I'd visited my mother's and Winry's parents' graves and completely ignored my father's. I could never forgive my father, no matter how pure his intentions in leaving us were.

And even though I'd promised Al when I was six that I'd 'never ever ever in forever tell him a lie', I knew that this was a circumstance when lying was the best option, as much as it hurt myself to do so.

But then again, I had always put Al's wellbeing in front of my own, hadn't I? "Yeah. I guess... in a way, it's easier to forgive when he's not actually there." I chuckled half-heartedly, but Al laughed so beautifully I was sure the nightingale would be ashamed.

"You were always so awkward with people, nii-san."

"O-oi!"

Al giggled again and skipped off to the graveyard, humming a song mother used to sing. Wearing the tattered remains of my red coat and skipping into the secluded tree-covered graveyard with a basket in hand, Al looked every bit like a bizarre, male Red Riding Hood, and I couldn't help but let out a twisted cackle at the absurdity of it.

The humour quickly dried away, though, as I faced the reality of having to live through this lie. I wondered how long it would take Al to forget I'd 'forgiven' my father, and came to the depressing conclusion 'never'.

I sighed - but after all, eagerly loading weight after weight onto one's shoulders was something the Fullmetal Alchemist did every day, wasn't it? I'd lived my life so far lying about my background, my family and my automail - this was just _one __more __lie_.

It couldn't hurt, right?

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><p><strong>Ah. I'm not an emotionally strong person, so I don't think I would've been able to cope with this option. I think that's why I dismissed it X|<strong>

**But anyway, I liked the Red Riding Hood reference in this XD**


	3. Option Three: The Compromise

**And finally we have the last option. I chose this in the end XS (What else could you do in this situation?)**

**Disclaimer~**

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><p><em>Option Three: The Compromise<em>

"Hey, nii-san!" I saw Al waving at me from the distance, and I couldn't prevent the smile leaking onto my face as I saw him, back in his human body for good. I flexed my new right arm - I was building more muscle tone every day, and even the piercing pain from over-exerted muscles felt good.

"Hey, Al. What are you doing all the way out here?" I chuckled as I slowed to a stop in front of my younger (yet somehow taller) brother.

"I was visiting the graves, actually. I wasn't expecting you to have the same idea at the same time." Al laughed at the brotherly coincidence and absentmindedly swung the basket of freshly-picked flowers in his hands to and fro in front of him.

"Yeah." I sighed, smiling. "We're not in Resembool often, so I took the chance while I had it."

Al smiled warmly at me, and a bubble of confusion burst in my stomach. Al didn't usually smile like that.

"What's gotten you so happy?" I said lightly.

"It's just... well, I'm happy for you, nii-san."

Another three bubbles popped rather loudly. "How so?"

"You're finally forgiving Dad - even if it is after he's died. I'm sure he would be very happy to see that. So, I'm very happy too."

You could practically _feel_ the waves of warm contentedness and a strange sense of accomplishment radiate off of Al, and I couldn't help but show a rare sincere smile of my own. It had been years since I'd seen him this happy, and when Al was happy, I was happy.

But, wait... Forgiving Dad...?

The natural smile on my face suddenly became not-so-natural as it tried to force its way off my face and down the nearest drain. Al was happy because he thought I'd visited Dad's grave. In truth, I hadn't - I'd visited my mother's and Winry's parents' graves and completely ignored my father's. I could never forgive my father, no matter how pure his intentions in leaving us were. But I knew that telling Al that now would rip his heart to shreds - I also knew lying to Al would tear apart mine.

I decided to compromise - that's what politicians do in situations like these, right? - and tell Al a half-truth. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"I didn't actually visit his grave. It would probably be harder to forgive him if I saw him lying there in the ground after leaving us for a second time, you know?" Insert awkward chuckle. "But... I think... he had his reasons, just like everyone does." I smiled wistfully at Al, who responded with an understanding smile of his own.

"I understand, nii-san." _No __you __don__'__t_.

"I know, Al."

I thought as I was walking casually home with my hands stuffed into my pockets that maybe Al would forget about it quickly - maybe in a week or two. Then I wouldn't have to worry about carrying this burden.

But I knew, deep down, that it would never happen. It would take Al months - maybe even years - to forget about this, and until then I'd be stuck skirting around the subject, feeling this terrible heart-wrenching guilt every time it was brought up.

But I knew I had to live with it, because it was all for my brother.

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><p><strong>Misunderstandings are a pain in the butt, aren't they? (I would have said something ruder, but this is K+ and I'm not going to change the rating just because of one word in an author's note.)<strong>

**Story finished, and problem concluded~ ;)**


End file.
